New Hampshire says workers comp medical costs among highest in U.S.

Workers compensation medical costs are “significantly higher” in New Hampshire than in other states, according to the state's insurance department.

Recent data from the National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. reinforces what the New Hampshire Insurance Department says many employers in the state already know: New Hampshire is among the most expensive states for workers comp.

“It makes it more costly for businesses to operate here,” New Hampshire Insurance Commissioner Roger Sevigny said in a statement Thursday.

Workers comp surgical procedures in New Hampshire are more than twice as expensive as they are nationally, according to the release, which cites data from NCCI, a Boca Raton, Florida-based workers compensation rating and research organization.

Meanwhile, department actuaries found doctors' visits, radiology, and physical and occupational therapies in New Hampshire are also more expensive than they are in the rest of the country.

New Hampshire was the ninth-most expensive state for workers comp in 2012, according to the most recent Oregon Workers Compensation Rate Ranking Study.

“I’m hopeful we haven’t gotten more expensive relative to the rest of the country,” said Deb Stone, an actuary and director of market regulation at the department, about where New Hampshire could land in the next ranking. “It’s hard to know without knowing what has happened in the other states.”